Groups seek ‘overdue’ justice for death of OFW in Canada

MANILA, Philippines - Several migrant groups are still seeking justice for an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was killed in Canada in 2007.

The Filipino Migrant Worker’s Movement, Migrant Ontario and Migrante International on Wednesday said in a statement that two men charged with first degree murder are set to appear again before a court in November for the death of Jocelyn Dulnuan, a 27-year old from Ifugao province.

Dulnuan, a live-in caregiver, was killed in her employer’s mansion in Mississauga, Canada on October 1, 2007.

“We cannot allow the murder of Jocelyn Dulnuan to fade away. We will continue to seek justice for her," said Jonathan Canchela, chairperson of the Filipino Migrant Workers' Movement in the statement.

He said all those responsible for the death of Dulnuan must be prosecuted, including Philippine government officials who are possibly guilty of criminal neglect in addressing the cases of victimized migrant workers.

Marco Luciano of Migrante Ontario said the Philippine government under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo must perform its duty of providing assistance and addressing the plight of thousands of OFWs in foreign countries like Canada.

“All legal and diplomatic avenues should be exerted so that her death does not become another statistic in a list of unsolved murder cases," said Migrante International Chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado in the statement.

According to Migrante Ontario, an estimated 13,000 caregivers were deployed to Canada under the LCP in the past year, 90 percent of which are Filipinos.

Dulnuan. came to Canada under the Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP), a federal government program that allows Filipinos to come as caregivers. The program requires workers to live in the homes of their employers for two years to perform domestic and caregiving work.

It also said the Philippines, as the second largest exporter of people in the world, pushes more than 3,000 Filipinos daily to seek employment overseas, eight of which return back to the Philippines dead every day.

Migrante International records said there are least 23 cases of unsolved murders against Filipinos abroad since 2002.- Kimberly Jane Tan, GMANews.TV